Chapter 1 Dreams Die
He promised her a fairy tale. He gave her a living nightmare.
Prologue
“So, what kind of lady do you really like?”
He got up to stand in front of me. “You really want to know?”
Then taking the glass from my hand, he drew me up. He led me to the mirror at a corner of the room and, staring keenly at me said: “That’s her. My type of woman.”
Then he turned me round and his hands began to caress my arms before slipping inside my blouse, his warm fingers on the soft flesh of my belly sending tingles of ecstasy over me. It was as if my body, that had been cold for so long had suddenly come alive at his touch.
“Ken, what are you doing?” I protested. But even to my ears, it sounded weak. His touch made me feel weak with longing as well, as if I had no energy left in me. But his mouth on mine shut me up and picking me up, took me to the couch. I should have resisted him, but I was powerless. I could not hold out any longer, this intense desire I felt for him…
That was about four years ago, when my relationship with Ken, my husband, started, when we became lovers. It was a secret affair back then as I was still very much married to Teddy my ex- husband.
Yes, you got that right. I cheated on my first husband with my present husband. Not just that, Ken was Teddy’s cousin. It was a complicated situation that got even more tangled up as time went by…
***
The front door swung open, letting in the smell of stale whiskey and the cold midnight air.
Ken stumbled slightly, his heavy boots thudding against the hardwood floor as he kicked the door shut behind him.
Claire sat on the edge of the living room sofa, her hands tightly clasped in her lap.
The clock on the wall read 2:20AM.
“Where have you been, Ken?” Her voice trembled slightly with suppressed anger.
Ken didn’t look at her. He tossed his jacket onto a chair, missing it entirely.
It fell to the floor.
“And how’s that your business?”
She stood up, her knees shaking.
Four years ago, she had given up her entire life, left her husband and child, and ran into this man’s arms because he promised her a fairytale.
Now, she was trapped in a nightmare that seemed to have no ending.
“It is my business. You’re my husband, Ken. You can’t keep disappearing for days, coming back drunk, and acting like I don’t exist!”
He spun around, his eyes bloodshot and dark with sudden rage. He stepped closer, towering over her. “I told you to stop bothering me. Shut your mouth. Go to bed and leave me alone.”
“No! I won’t take this anymore!” she cried out, tears finally spilling over her cheeks. “Look at what we did to be together! Look at what I gave up for you! You used to love me, Ken. What’s happening to us…”
“I said, shut up!”
His hand flew out in a swift backhand that took her unawares. The force of the blow caught her squarely across the cheek. Claire gasped, the impact throwing her off balance. She stumbled backward, her right foot catching the edge of the rug.
She fell hard on the floor.
A sound echoed through the quiet room as her right ankle twisted beneath her weight.
“Ah! God, my leg!” she shrieked, a sharp pain spreading up her leg. She clutched her ankle, curling into a ball on the floor. The tears came faster now, thick and nearly blinding her.
Ken stood over her, breathing heavily, his fists still clenched. He looked down at her with cold indifference, completely unmoved by her writhing and obvious distress.
“Ken, please...” she sobbed. She reached a trembling hand up toward him. “Please, it hurts so bad. I think it’s broken. Help me up... please, Ken, just help me get to the couch.”
He stared at her extended hand for a moment. Then, he sneered, stepping right past her outstretched fingers.
“You brought this on yourself. Deal with it,” he muttered.
“Ken! Don’t leave me here! Please!” she wailed, her voice filled with despair as she watched him walk toward the hallway. “Please, just help me!”
He didn’t look back. He walked down the corridor, entered the bedroom, and shut the door firmly behind him. The click of the lock turning seemed to ring out louder than her own cries, leaving Claire alone on the cold floor, cradling her leg.
***
The following morning, Claire lay exactly where Ken had left her, curled on her side.
Her right ankle was swollen to nearly twice its normal size, the skin stretched tight and marked with purple bruises. Every tiny movement sent a fresh wave of throbbing pain up her leg.
She stared at the closed bedroom door at the end of the hall, her eyes red from hours of silent crying and a sleepless night.
How did I get here?
The question repeated like a broken record in her mind. She had betrayed a good man, broken a family, and disgraced herself, all for a man who could now look at her writhing in pain on the floor and simply walk away.
The click of the bedroom door handle turning broke the silence of the room.
Ken stepped into the hallway.
He had changed into a clean shirt for work, his hair still damp from the shower. He bypassed her as if she was invisible, and walked into the kitchen.
A coffee mug clattered against the counter, sounding like a gunshot in the quiet house.
Claire swallowed hard, her voice hoarse. “Ken...”
He didn’t answer.
Gathering what little strength she had left, she pushed herself up onto her elbows. The shift in weight pulled at her sprained ankle, and a gasp of pure agony escaped her lips. “Ken, please. My foot... I need to go to the hospital. I can’t walk.”
Ken finally walked out of the kitchen, holding his mug. He stopped a few feet away from her, looking down. There was no anger in his eyes this time, but there was no sympathy either.
Instead, he looked irritated.
“You’re making a scene over nothing,” he said, taking a slow sip of his coffee. “It’s a sprain. Put some ice on it.”
“I can’t get up to get ice!” her voice cracked, tears spilling over her swollen cheek. “I’ve been lying here all night. Please... just drive me to the hospital. I won’t tell them what happened. I’ll say I tripped on the stairs. But, please help me.”
He looked at his watch, completely unbothered by her pleading. “I have a meeting at eight. I don’t have time for your drama today, Claire.”
